The Fallen Ones
by COGDog
Summary: Years after the tales of Afro, the Godly war over the two headbands continues, bloody as ever. Ochimusa's family once guarded the Number One headband, but Isaac took their lives with the Number One, leaving Ochimusa as the Number Two with a vendetta. R
1. The Fallen Ones: Prolog

**Notes: **When reading this, there are techniques I use that you may be unfamiliar with, I will pick them out now so that you'll understand later in the text.

Five of these symbols, ~, will be connected at the front of a paragraph to tag it as a flash back. A space between paragraphs means a jump in time. And finally, I use two hyphens to say something off to the side--just like this--and will always follow up with the rest of the sentence. They kind of replace parentheses. If anyone has any complaints, do tell me in detail.

Please read, I promise the story is less boring than my explanations!

**The Fallen Ones**

Prolog

Those two headbands have been a Godly plague on this earth for who knows how long. It seems hard to believe how they could control man the way they do, that is, until you stop and think about the fabric of humanity. We _were_ tricked into eating that apple, oh yes, but believe me, Eve wasn't so easy to trick, nor was Adam. They may have been more pure than humans today, but trust me, so long as the devil was immortal, those two were _doomed_ to fall into temptation, fall into that knowledge which they had no understanding of.  
Now, what does this have to do with the Number One and the Number Two? It's simple really. We chase, kill, bleed, and die for those two headbands because we were born to chase what we shouldn't. Now that we _can_ die, it's apart of our destiny as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to choose _how_ we die. Eating an apple is out of style, but Godlike power and knowledge through wearing a headband, through killing thousands of people as the Number Two--all in the name of revenge or glory--just to die at the hands of Number One? Doesn't _that_ sound like a good enough reason to live?

"What? You wanna die or somethin' kid? Hand over that headband!" Though there was plenty of space for Ochimusa to run, there was no where for him to run _to_. He looked around himself as the horde encircled his position. They popped up everywhere; from behind trees, shrubs, even from beneath boulders on the hillside, and all had their swords and rifles pointed to the headband around Ochimusa's forehead. He laughed and smiled from beneath his sunhat. "Damn, I guess the hat doesn't hide the tails does it?" The mob burst into laughter as the streaming headband's ends whipped with the wind to Ochimusa's front, confirming their presence.  
Ochimusa laughed as well and raised his hands, jokingly, to quell the crowd's uproar. "Alright, alright, just raise your hand if you really _really_ want the headband." The crowd simmered down as he made his request. "Oh, but only if you _really_ want it…" Most of the group was confused by Ochimusa's words, but one man raised his middle finger joyfully. "Right here bitch! Come on and wrap it around my forehead, or I'll make-" Ochimusa drew his blade and rushed forward with blinding speed. He swiped at the finger and it flipped to the ground in a bloody twirl. The man pulled his hand back in shock, but then froze. As his hand bled out, his cheeks began to bleed as well. He opened his mouth to gasp, but an arrow of blood shot forth and to the ground with a splut. As he fell to his side, his head from the nose up slid over and off the rest of his head. With the wet slosh of a fallen ally, the crowd surrounding Ochimusa boomed with a battle cry and rushed forward.  
"Alright, if you really want it that bad…"  
Ochimusa leapt to the air, dodging the first wave of bullets. He threw his legs out, smashing into a few mouths and crushing them against his wooden sandals. He drew his blade as he landed and sliced away two attackers. The entire crowd hesitated, including the gunmen, but Ochimusa was quick to continue his strike. He leapt to the air and spun, his heel sending a swordsman spinning to his left. Ochimusa landed and continued his spin with a slash. He smiled and screamed at the three he had cut. They yelped in fear, and then--after their arms fell off--their torsos split with them to the ground. "Ha! You guys are fun! Hey, when's-" Ochimusa heard a gunshot behind him and spun around with a smile. "There it is!" He quickly raised his blade and brought it down. The bullet and the sword wailed from the stress, but the bullet gave first, breaking off in two.  
Ochimusa listened, and after he heard two foreheads split, he saw the two jets of blood spurt forward on either side of him. The gunman shouted an apology to his fallen comrades before Ochimusa rushed him. He jumped on the gunman's shoulders and broke his neck with a kick. As the gunman crumbled underneath himself, Ochimusa slipped behind him, stealing his rifle. A few bullets stuck into the gunman, and Ochimusa returned the fire. Three heads unfurled in a flower of crimson and white before falling limply to the rocks they stood on. Ochimusa speared the gun toward a swordsman. The bayonet stuck into his eye socket, and Ochimusa took his sweet time climbing up the hillside. "Whoo! Can't you guys slow down a second! I may be Number Two, but I'm no God! And after all it's such a hot day, I-"  
One last gunman leapt from behind a boulder, his two pistols drawn and aimed. "Yes! I'm gonna be Number Two! Die mother fucker!" He shot several times, screaming ecstatically, and after his twelve shots were spent, he eyed the perfectly still Ochimusa. Realizing that several men behind Ochimusa were dead, but not Ochimusa himself, the quick shot held his pistols up to look at them astonished. Ochimusa's blade shot forward and hit flesh. He laughed and turned to face the few remaining swordsman. As two hands, two guns, and a head tumbled down a smooth rock next to him, he bowed and sheathed his blade.  
"Thank you, thank you…and then there were five!" The men stood their ground as Ochimusa casually made his way down the hillside toward them. "Either you all are alive because you really _are_ good swordsman--if so, then I applaud you for that--or you stand before me because you couldn't even muster up the courage the come _near_ me during the scuffle. Now, I'm not usually one to toot my own horn, but I don't recall seeing any of your faces, so, toot toot, I'm assuming my second guess was right." The five warriors stood spooked, two of them were sweating profusely, while the other three were a little more collected, but Ochimusa could very well see that they all were _terrified_, not happy, to see the Number Two headband flowing lithely before them. Ochimusa coughed at the awkward silence and put his hands up in a fake boxing stance. "Alright now, _all_ of you, like you_ really_ want the headband!"

"Bleck! What is _this_?" Ochimusa pulled a clump of bloody hair from his sandal and flung it to the side. He grimaced at the mess it landed on, but laid back indifferently on the warm rock. He placed his hand to the sun, trying to look at the beautiful blue sky. "Huh, my story_ might_ _actually_ play out just like his…but I still wonder…"

"…How alike _are_ Afro Samurai and I?"


	2. Reason and Treason, The God of Gothism

**Ch 1**:

**Reason and Treason  
The God of Gothism**

"Your whole family died protecting that accursed headband! Why on earth would you even consider searching to reclaim the Number One!?"  
"_That's_ the reason! Is it so wrong for me to pick up the family business?"  
"If you really wanted to pick up the family business, you'd stay under my training and carry on our school's teachings, not waste it all for a pair of meaningless headbands!" He gripped his sword, probably as an emphasis on the sword school, but the look in his eyes showed Ochimusa that he might want to use it as well.  
"Listen sensei, you have taught me well, but hell, maybe you didn't teach me the right things soon enough. That'd be my fault though, so don't feel you've done anything wrong."  
Ochimusa's sensei stared at him with a strange mix of grief and disbelief. His hand was still tightly gripped around his sword, and as he stood, Ochimusa knew how the day would end. "If you're going to be so foolish as to chase this sin, I'm going to give you hell to start with. Give me your sword."  
Ochimusa realized the severity of the situation and his sensei's words, but still--in a way--couldn't handle it seriously. He needed to break the ties he had to his village and friends, even if the wound he left behind would continue to bleed. He quickly made his decision, but was far from happy to do it.  
"Well now that's rude, you can't take my Blood Babe back, it was a gift from you wasn't it?"  
His sensei recoiled at the rebellion, but held his hand out again. He seemed to hesitate to speak, but forced the words out.  
"Then give me the headband."  
Ochimusa was the shocked party this time. He never thought his sword master knew that Isaac had given him the headband, but somehow, he had found out. Ochimusa began to burn inside, realizing how his sensei had pretended to believe Isaac still had it, in the hopes that his student wouldn't let him down, that his student would ignore such a challenge. He felt like throwing up once he realized he would have to betray his sensei completely. He pulled the headband from his pocket and dangled it before his sensei.  
"W-what? This one here?" He choked over the words, but kept his reflexes up as he yanked it from his sensei's dismayed glare.  
"Enough of your damn games! Those headbands took your mother, your father, and your sister whom I loved dearly, and dammit, I'm not going to lose my brother to them!"  
"We're only brothers by law, sensei."  
He stood hesitant for a moment, visibly hurt by the comment, and Ochimusa sprang up. His blade clashed with his sensei's, and they stood looking into each other's eyes.  
"I do love you as a brother, believe me sensei. I-if you want, you can imagine I'm doing this to exact revenge for my family and your wife."  
His sensei stared into Ochimusa's melancholy eyes for some time before a tear found its way to both of their cheeks. Ochimusa let his sensei's sword slide down his own and it jabbed into the ground. With his blade now free, he cut like lighting through his sensei's stomach, no hesitation. His sensei's kimono top began to flood with blood.  
"Yu…Yut-"  
"No no, don't d…don't die knowing me by that name. My new name today is Ochimusa. I decided this morning when I woke up, because I knew where I'd end up tonight. Please, just sleep, and remember me as that fallen warrior you once called brother…" Ochimusa pleaded, still stumbling over words.  
Ochimusa kissed his brother-in-law on the forehead, and then closed his sad eyes with his fingers. After placing coins over his eyelids to help him cross the river Styx, Ochimusa cleaned his sword and left the dojo.

He sat in the woods all that afternoon, thinking about his sensei, thinking about who would have found his golden eyes first, and all the while felt his guilt growing stronger than he would have liked. He listened to the chirping of the birds and the clicks of fighting squirrels, the occasional train, and kept wishing his life could be simple. He could still live a normal life, albeit not in his first home, but he was young, and had his whole life ahead of him. After raising a family and seeing his grandchildren, he could live out the last of his days fishing, live as any man could. However, as much as he liked the thought, as much as it tickled his fancy, the Number One headband was an itch he couldn't leave unscratched. There was something inside him, possibly adventurous, probably insane, that compelled him to chase what his family died protecting. He used to laugh when his father spoke of hiding the Number Two headband. He used to laugh when his mother would say that since Afro Samurai had the Number One, the whole death cycle could end there. He laughed, until he witnessed them all die for the Number One, by the hands of the Number Two.

~~~~~  
"Don't stay! Run!"  
"No! We took it upon ourselves to defend this headband, and we will not abandon it so easily." Ochimusa's mother looked over to Isaac. He stood in the moonlight, looking as dark as ever, like a statue before their family shrine. His hair was a laid-back mess of dreadlocks, adorned with four or so golden rings. His hooded black jacket swayed gentle in the breeze, jingling the chains on his black shorts. His pierced eyebrow rose up as Ochimusa's mother and sister stood next to his father. Ochimusa tried to move as well, he wanted to stand by his father and family, he wanted to make up for all the times he'd laughed at them, but as Isaac made his way toward his family, he couldn't do anything but stare and try not to faint. Isaac laughed as he came within a ten-foot proximity.  
"Hey, isn't this the part where you say 'you'll have to go through us first'? You see, I thought up a few jokes just in case you asked that, or something close to that. You know, like 'that was my plan!', or something like that, I don't know, I didn't really think it over. Er, but, whatever, I guess this family isn't one for jokes anyway." Isaac drew the veiny looking blade from it's sheath. "Nice huh? It got that burned look from a master sword etcher. Did you know there were people who did that? Well, I didn't, so you can imagine when I go to pick up my first sword and it looks like it's wrapped in black veins! Ha ha!" Isaac pointed his katana toward the headband as it hung from the sword hilt of Ochimusa's father. "But let's not talk blades, let's _use_ them…"  
Ochimusa's father tightened his grip over the headband and rushed forward. His sword clashed with Isaac's and they pushed at each other, shoulder to shoulder, blade to blade. "Whatsa matter pops? 'Fraid you'll lose the headband to some headstrong punk? I'll have you know I'm in my twenties, so I'm not just some reckless teenager." He said, playfully sarcastic. Ochimusa felt an impulse surge to his mouth, and he acted on it. "You…you coulda fooled us! W-what grown man walks around looking like he's, he's got a rave to go and sell some weed?" Ochimusa tried to smile, but his cheeks quivered with fright as Isaac looked over to him. Isaac chuckled and began pushing harder on Ochimusa's father.  
"Not bad kid. It was clever, but you really gotta work on your delivery, plus-"  
"Special delivery for Isaac!"  
Isaac turned his head to see Ochimusa's mother stabbing toward him with a tanto. He twisted in his spot and rolled across the ground; letting the blade he held back swing forward. Ochimusa's mother missed, but unfortunately, his father didn't. His blade slashed into his wife's shoulder and she slumped to the ground in a fountain of blood. "No!" Ochimusa began to grow dizzy, but as Isaac swung for his father, holding his mother, he was sobered once more. At the last second, his sister jumped in the way, successfully stopping the swing. She held the blade with her hands and her split stomach, but held strong. Isaac yanked and jerked at the blade, but his sister wouldn't let it go. "D-dad, guh, get up…fight!" Isaac lifted his leg and smashed it into her face, sending her body tumbling over Ochimusa's father. She landed with a slosh and began to puddle the ground with her blood.  
"Wow, maybe I was wrong about this family and jokes, this is side-splittingly hilarious! Ha, get it?" Isaac leapt toward Ochimusa's father, who flipped over his families bodies and guarded a swipe. He pushed off the sword and slashed for Isaac. Isaac was quick, and dodged about the wild swings easily. After several moments of mocking Ochimusa's father with his smiles, Isaac began to mock him by leaving only one hand on his blade. He parried several swipes and landed several more punches with his free hand. Ochimusa's father threw a leg forward as Isaac blocked an attack, but he kicked air. Isaac sprung up from his crouched position and smashed his heel on top of skull. Ochimusa's father leapt back, dizzy, and left himself open. Isaac shot forward like a bullet and his blade sliced through throat.  
Ochimusa cried silently, but then soon after his father's head rolled over to the family shrine, he burst into loud sobs. "Help! Not dad! No!" Isaac looked over Ochimusa huddled at the base of a tree. "Hey! What'cha screamin' for kid? We're in the middle of the fucking woods!" Ochimusa ran over to his blood soaked family and tugged at their shirts. "No! Help! Someone help!" Isaac laughed much louder than Ochimusa could cry for help, and made it all the worse by joining in. "Help! Someone help! Isaac killed some dogs! Is that illegal or something!? I don't know, I guess as long as you don't waste the bodies! Ah ha ha!" Isaac strode over to Ochimusa and crouched down to grab his chin, squeezing out his last baby tooth. "Do you know where I can find a good taxidermist at this hour of night?"  
Ochimusa could do nothing more than cry before Isaac. He wanted to kick Isaac, kill Isaac, something other than just cry, but Isaac kept smiling, waiting for his answer.  
"…No? Damn, oh well, I'm sure you'll find something to do with their bodies. Ha ha, hey! Just don't go the way of Afro Samurai!"  
"A…Afro, Samurai?" Ochimusa asked weakly.  
"Oh, crazy guy-_crazy ass_ mother fucka! He carried his dad's head about when he was killed by the Number Two, Justice, and…what kid, you never heard the story?"  
Ochimusa did his best at shaking his head.  
"J-just that he has the N-Number One."  
Isaac stared into his eyes for a moment before bursting into laughter.  
"Damn kid? It's like your family hid the stories too!"  
Isaac stared into each of Ochimusa's eyes before a deadly smirk creeped from ear to ear. "Hey kid…I'll tell you what. I'll be a little gothic-Justice, and you can be a chink version of Afro Samurai! Hell, this could play out just like it! _Damn_ that'd be fun! Ok, ok, here's what we do. I take the Number One from your dad here, and I give you the Number Two! You grow up some, train; actually hear an Afro story or two--so you know who I'm talking about--and then come and fight me."  
Isaac untied the Number Two headband and wrapped it around Ochimusa's forehead. He then unwrapped the Number One from the sword and tied it under his dreadlocks. "Ah! Fits like Godhood!"  
Ochimusa stood, stunned by the Number One headband. He had always thought that his father held the Number Two, but all this time he'd been guarding the Number One?  
Isaac stood and released Ochimusa. He turned and looked into his hand with laugh. "Here kid, put it under your pillow." Ochimusa's tooth flew over Isaac's shoulder and into the dirt. Ochimusa's eyes burned into Isaac's back as he strode away. "Hey kid." Isaac called back to Ochimusa as he walked into the nighttime shadow of the trees. "In the immortal words of a fool who was indeed very mortal…"

"Challenge me, when you're ready to duel a God."


	3. Something Old into Something New

**Ch 2:**

**Some Old Into Something New**

Several hours later--after Ochimusa's guilt had set with the sun--he was ready to forgive his sin and chase the back of a 'God' whose legacy must be shoved hard from grace. The flashback was more than enough to get him ready to travel. He was ready to start his journey and leave his old home.

…Well, not _quite _ready.

The forest surrounding his old village, though wide spread, was thin with trees. The moonlight easily lit the path before him, as if a string of lamps were hung in the trees. All he could hear for sometime was his sandals clacking against the occasional rock and the wind in the trees, but soon he could hear the churning of a small waterfall. As he walked toward the familiar sound, he saw a familiar face in the distance. She stood, bathed in moonlight, alone in the clearing just before the hot spring. She looked up to see Ochimusa walking toward her. A slight smile fixed across her cheeks, and she turned herself, dropping her kimono and slipping into the spring. Ochimusa chuckled; he knew how she liked to play her own little games with him. They had developed many such games growing up together.  
As he found a spot to sit, he slipped his clothes off, hanging them in a tree, and sat next to Rin. She sighed and leaned over onto his shoulder. They both stared at the waxing moon as it peeked gently over the firefly-lit waterfall, sitting contently in a silence that could only be understood by these two best of friends.  
"…I'm leaving tonight, but I'm sure you know."  
"Yes."  
"…Do you have any objections?"  
"Well of course."  
"So then why are you saying goodbye so easily?"  
Rin kissed Ochimusa's shoulder and took in his smell. "It's really not all that easy…"  
Ochimusa turned is head and look into Rin's big brown eyes. Her cheeks were wet with more than spring water. Ochimusa gentle kissed them dry as Rin giggled quietly. "…Why do you have to leave like this…why did you have to do that to sensei?" Ochimusa sighed and looked back to the moon. "I know it would have been worse if I hadn't. Hell, he's kind of dramatic; he might have chased me and gotten killed along the way." Rin the thought away and buried her head into his shoulder. "That's true…Are you gonna kill me too?" She nudged herself closer to Ochimusa. "It'll be even worse for _me_ you know…"  
Ochimusa turn his head toward her in disbelief, completely shocked by the question. "Hm hm, now I know why you fight with stuff like that, the opponent always makes the greatest face." Ochimusa felt Rin's open and flat hand against his neck like a knife. He smirked and took her hand in his. "Heh heh, well aren't you clever Rin…" She smiled and leaned forward to embrace Ochimusa in a tender kiss. They sat like that for sometime, before Ochimusa's hands began to play. "Hm hm, Yut-" Ochimusa closed Rin's lips with his own. He pulled back and looked into her eyes again. "That's not my name anymore Rin…you may call me Ochimusa…" Rin studied Ochimusa's expression carefully.  
"…Fallen Warrior? But why?" Ochimusa picked Rin up and sat her on his lap. He began to kiss her from her lips down to her neck and then down further. "Because only a fool who is leaping from grace can leave something as perfect as you, Rin." Rin gasped as he began to play again. He raised his head and locked his lips onto hers. Her arms wrapped around him tightly and he chuckled. "Let me leave you with something to remember me by…" The moon carried itself high into the sky before Ochimusa and Rin could finally part.

"Come on you stupid ass fish! _Bite_!" Ochimusa thrashed the line about before resting again. He saw several fish swimming about, but none would come within a close proximity of his hook and worm. He stared into the crystal-clear water--his goateed chin rested lazily on his hand--for only a minute before leaping into the cool evening air with a battle cry. He splashed down into the water and swam about like a mad snake.  
During his escapade, a young man strolled down by the riverside and saw the fishing pole and supplies. He smiled once he saw the worth of the abandoned gear and went in quickly to snatch it before the owner returned. As he grabbed the pole, he felt a tug. "Oh, ha, hey! A bonus!" He lifted the fishing pole and began to reel in the catch. "Damn! This is one _big_ mother fuck-"  
"Ha! _Caught_ you!" Ochimusa said exploding out of the water. The young man grew pale with fright--and thinking he had been caught--he passed out. Ochimusa landed on the riverbank, the hook in the fish and the fish in his mouth. He shook his long hair dry and looked to the teenaged corpse. "…Um…you ok kid?"

"Here, have one; I've got plenty for us both."  
"Was that the one in your mouth?"  
"It doesn't matter, any cooties your worried about were cooked out. Just eat. A growing girl like you needs food; wouldn't want you fainting from famine."  
The kid was about to take a bite but pulled the fish further and further away with each insult. "Hey! Don't get pissy, you were gonna steal my gear weren't you?" The boy hesitated, but then took a bite of the fish. "There you go! Now seriously, what are you? Sixteen? A boy your age needs to eat as much meat as he can." The kid looked up to Ochimusa, who cast out the line again and stood, gazing longingly into the water. "…My name's Taro." Ochimusa smiled and looked back to Taro. "Well, pleased to meet you, my name's Ochimusa!" The boy looked up at Ochimusa questioningly. "Fallen Warrior?" Ochimusa sighed and jiggled the line. "Yes, well, I'm gonna be blunt. The story_ isn't_ long, but it's long enough to say 'it's a long story and I don't want to talk about.'…"  
Taro was about to speak, but shook his head and ignored it. "Kay, whatever weirdo." Ochimusa looked down to Taro. "How old are you again? You sound _ten_ now." Taro threw away the fish bone. "You were right the first time; sixteen." Ochimusa laughed and yanked up a fish. "A sixteen year old thief huh? Well, I guess you're never _too_ young to start." Taro laughed, almost proud, and plucked another fish from the fire. "Well, I'm not normally a thief, but when I saw _that_…" Taro's eyes fixed onto the headband--tied in a bow--toward the end of the pole. "So, is that the _real_ Number Two?" Ochimusa stared at the headband, no longer thinking about his fishing. His brown eyes deadened as he stared, and he was only brought back to reality by a sudden tug in his hands. He spun his head around toward Taro and began to reel vigorously. "Whoa, check this out kid! It's a big one! I can _feel_ it! Maybe even bigger than the one _you _caught earlier, ha, not to say I'm fat, but-"  
"What!? You dumbass! You lost the headband!"  
Ochimusa gripped his hands around air and spun back to the river. A large bass drug the pole and headband swiftly against the current toward an angler further up ahead. "Holy shit! Boy! Grab my stuff, er, wait, screw my stuff! Leave it! Er, no, wait here with…ah fuck it! Grab it and come on!" Ochimusa grabbed his sword and rushed along the riverside. Taro picked up the supplies and barely kept up twelve feet behind Ochimusa. Taro called up to him.  
"Ochimusa you fucking dumbass! Didn't you feel the pole slip from your fingers!?"  
"Hey! Watch your fucking words kid! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth!?"  
"My mother passed away!" Ochimusa was struck by the answer, but kept up his pace. "Well I'll tell you what kid! I'll give you a therapy session after we get that headband!" Ochimusa dove forward into the water and slowly caught up with the fish.  
"Is this guy some kind of otter or something!?" Taro quickened his pace and watched as Ochimusa slowly reached the pole. "Come on Ochimusa, come one!" Ochimusa's fingertips grazed the handle, but he suddenly pulled it back and gripped at his mouth. Ochimusa stopped swimming and trashed about just below the surface. "What is that dumbass doing!?"  
"Holy hell! This one's big!" Taro looked up to see the angler from before. He was an older man, but from the way he handled Ochimusa on the other end of the line, it was evident that he was strong. He played with the line a couple times more before tugging. Ochimusa breeched the water's surface and landed on his feet before the old man. "_Stop yanking the damn hook_!"

"Ha ha, you gotta be _happy_! After all, you didn't swallow the hook!" Taro was having a blast poking fun at the hole in Ochimusa's lower lip. Ochimusa just kept making his way along the darkening forest path. "And did you see the way he went white and passed out! I thought _I'd _pass out from laughter! Ah ha ha!"  
"It's not like you would, you already wasted _that_ wild card when I popped up the first time."  
Taro stopped for a second, falling further behind Ochimusa, before catching himself up. "Why are you still following me kid?"  
"Just looking for something to do."  
"That's a stupid excuse to die."  
"What, are_ you _gonna kill me? Just because I'm following you?" Ochimusa sighed and kept walking. _No, but I know who would_, he thought to himself.  
"Just go home to your father kid."  
"I don't think I have one."  
Ochimusa kept his pace but turned to look back at Taro. Taro stared off to his right, into the forest. "The only thing I know of him, is that I'm named after him, Taro, and hell, I don't even know if _that's_ right." Ochimusa stared at Taro as he stared at Ochimusa. "So, _what's the story_?" He finally asked sarcastically.  
Taro straitened up as if the question was unexpected, but he spoke as if he'd been rehearsing. "A little while after I was born, some dick-holes looking for the Number One killed my mother, thinking she had it. They left me though--probably for the birds--but great God in heaven, my aunt came by only a few minutes later. She took me and raised me as Taro, but she was hard of hearing, and so was never sure if my Mother _really_ had named me Taro or not…so, I guess I'm actually tagging along with you to find the Number One and watch you kill him. My Aunt died recently from cancer, so I _really_ don't have anything to do." He finished with a proud edge in his voice before laughing and speaking again. "Damn! You got me to spill my guts without even lifting a finger, but hell; I guess a sixteen year old isn't too hard to crack emotionally huh?"  
Ochimusa was shocked by the similarities to his own family's death, and felt a strong pity, and a strange abhorrence, toward the painful reminder that walked with a smile behind him. "Well, whatever kid, I gotta honestly warn you about something though." Taro stopped with Ochimusa, startled by the sudden seriousness in his tone. "I _won't_ let you're emotions endanger this journey, people are always trying to kill me, and they'll kill _you_ if they think your in the way." Ochimusa drew his blade and thrust it toward Taro's shoulder. "Funny thing is, you're in _my_ way too…"


	4. Dirty Methods

**Ch 3:**

**Dirty Methods**

"Gaaah!" Blood sprayed everywhere--like when you place your thumb over a hose nozzle--as Ochimusa's blade stabbed into the heart. He twisted the blade, letting out one last burst of blood before smiling at Taro's dead expression. "Now move to the side so you don't get killed." Taro stood petrified, but moved as soon as he felt a wet weight on his shoulder. The dead swordsman fell to the ground in a puddle of blood. Ochimusa looked over Taro and swung his sword behind Taro's head. Taro heard an arrow shatter over the blade and he realized he needed to move. He looked about, not sure of where to go, before settling for a cabin in the distance.  
"Come on! This way!" Ochimusa looked up as Taro ran. "Ha, looky there!" Ochimusa cut a down a few more arrows before giving chase. Taro made his way into the cabin and Ochimusa was quick behind. The cabin had only one room, and was void of all furniture other than a toilet and sink. "Dammit, well, hide under the sink or something. That's pretty lame…" Ochimusa left the cabin and went to face the swordsmen. They appeared through the trees, some carrying blades, others carrying drawn bows. "There he is! Kill him now!" A woman's voice boomed. Ochimusa leapt off a tree as a few arrows stuck into the trunk. He slashed down the last arrow and darted toward archers.  
He ducked underneath the defending swordsmen's swipes and made his way to the archers behind them. Cutting them down, he spun around to face the swordsman again. "Oh no you don't!" He ducked once he heard how close the voice was, and sure enough, a woman came screaming out of the tree next to him and to the grass before him. She landed sloppily and turned around to faced Ochimusa. "You little fucker! You killed my husband! You had better give me that damned headband before I get_ real_ pissed!" Ochimusa took a step back and smiled.  
"Ok ok! Calm down! Now, just saying I killed your husband isn't good enough. I've killed a lot of people you know! You gotta be more specific. Here, um, let's narrow the search down. Let us see…was your husband a _man_?" The woman screamed and pointed her sword toward Ochimusa. "Cut this prick down!" Ochimusa smirked and lifted his blade. As the first swordsman came close enough, Ochimusa shot his blade out, slicing him in half. His body fell, revealing the other four. He ducked under a swipe and came up with his own cut. The man's head split in half and opened to each side, erupting in a fan of blood.  
He kicked to body forward, smashing it into the woman. He quickly cut down the other men and made his way to the woman as she crawled out from underneath his corpse. He stepped on her hand holding the sword and she screamed and clawed at his ankle. "Hey! Hold up beautiful, I'm not gonna kill you! I try my best not to kill girls."  
"I don't give a fuck! Just kill me!"  
Ochimusa sighed and crouched down, lifting his foot off her hand. He picked up her sword and jabbed it into a tree. "Miss, you're lying, and I can tell. Now _I_ won't lie, but you're very lucky you're a terrible actress…" She looked up to Ochimusa through her tears. He stared firmly into her eyes and she soon gave up and hid her face in her arms. Taro came out from the cabin and looked down to the woman. "Who's she?" Ochimusa sighed and stared down at the sobbing girl. "A sob story i'm sure..."

The woman sat, her arms wrapped around her knees and a blanket wrapped around her body. Ochimusa placed more rocks around the fire to contain it. The sun was just about set, and the girl was close to sleep, exhausted from crying. She leaned against Taro, her eyelids creeping closer and closer together. "Ah, I'm on fire! _Fire_!" Taro and the girl snapped up and looked to their right at Ochimusa. He smiled and blew out his invisible fire. "Lets at least stay awake long enough to hear a bedtime story." The girl stared for a moment, but then giggled and looked into the fire. "Um, I guess I got one." Ochimusa smiled and tossed a woodchip into the fire. "I was hoping…"  
The girl scooted closer to the fire and shivered out her last wave of cold. "Where should I start?"  
"How about with 'once upon a time'?" Taro said.  
The girl laughed again, slowly growing comfortable with the strangers, and began her story. "Well, once upon a time, there was me. My name is Alexis, and I haven't got the happiest story to tell."  
_I guess didn't expect it to be happy_. Ochimusa thought solemnly to himself.  
"It started two months ago, on the outskirts of a bamboo forest northeast of here, when the Number One captured my husband and my daughter…"

~~~~~  
Iran as quickly as I could through the bamboo forest. I could hear my baby screaming, my husband's sword clashing with someone else's, and I needed to know my baby was ok. I burst through the reeds and found my husband, holding our baby girl, blocking strike after strike from a man dressed in black. His dreadlocks shook about in the moonlight with each attack, and his smile never left his cheeks, even when his swipes came dangerously close to Ellen. I then looked down to the ground and saw my brother-in-law dead on the ground, his belly split open. "Niall!" I screamed to my husband. He looked over from his battle and gently rested Ellen on the ground. He then faced the attacker with both hands on his blade. "Take Ellen and run! _Now_! Head to the family shrine!"

Ochimusa fell back hard onto the floor of the cabin, interrupting Alexis. "What's wrong?" Alexis asked. Ochimusa sighed and sat himself up again. "Nothing, I've just heard a story that kinda started like this before. Carry on, carry on." Alexis stared at Ochimusa for a few more seconds, confused, but then continued her story.

~~~~~  
My husband threw a kick, hitting the man in black in his stomach. I ran like crazy for Ellen and lifted her off the ground carefully. As soon as I had Ellen wrapped in her blanket and in my arms, I ran as fast as I could into the woods, hoping to reach my town. I listened as the sword clashes echoed into the woods, that is, until one clash ended with the wail of metal splitting metal. I picked up my pace, frightened out of my mind and trying to calm my screaming baby. I myself couldn't stop crying, and so I just hoped Ellen would cry herself to sleep. Sure enough, a minute later, Ellen nuzzled deeper into my shoulder, signifying she was spent. I had smiled, so happy to see something so precious and innocent while I was running for my life, but then I realized I too was completely worn out from running and crying. I couldn't seem to find my breath between sobs, and so sat for some time, trying to catch my breath.

"Then he finally caught up." Alexis said gravely.

~~~~~  
I stood up from the ground and looked up to see a black shadow standing before me in the clearing. His skin was dark, and only his eyes and teeth reflected the moonlight. There was something bigger standing behind him, and as my eyes strained to tell what it was, I realized it was my family shrine. The shadow stepped out from the shrine's own shadow and walked casually over to me. "Yeah, it actually wasn't too hard to find. A big stone archway thingy into the middle of a bamboo forest? It's either a toilet or a shrine!" The man zipped up his fly and smiled. He held out his hand to me. "My name is Isaac." My stomach fluttered so hard that my eyes fluttered as well, not sure if the horror holding out his hand was real or not. "Don't worry, I washed them. Cleanliness is next to Godliness…" I was about to scream, when Isaac's hand shot toward my mouth.  
He quickly swung around behind me and wrapped his other arm around my chest and Ellen. "Hey hey whoa! Don't wake the baby now! Look at her sleeping so contently…" I looked down to see Isaac's sword in his hand. Though it was nowhere near Ellen now, if I hadn't seen him draw his blade, he would have no trouble in doing what he wanted if I screamed. I physically relaxed, as did Isaac's grip. "Well, ok now, what I do is, I take your husband and your baby-" I tense up again--this time in anger--as did Isaac's arm around Ellen. "…and I send you out on a job. Don't worry, the hours aren't terrible, and the pay is pretty good, one husband and one baby, I'd say that's good pay for someone a young as you." Isaac chuckled and took his hand off my mouth, gently sliding it underneath my breast and underneath the baby. He pulled Ellen from my frozen hands and cradled her gently in his arm.  
"Aw, she's got her father's nose, such a cute little round nose…" I stared at my family shrine through a pool of tears, so distraught and horrified, and felt Isaac leave my side. "All you gotta do missy, is find the Number Two, I heard he was around these parts. I'd go find him myself, but I have a little game I'm playing. You lure him in, with your words or those breasts of yours, and lead him into this bamboo forest. I'll be keeping your husband and daughter in a cabin near here, so you can head there once I attack the Number Two." His voice seemed to fade away, and I so spun around, peering through the bamboo forest. Isaac was gone, as was my baby Ellen.

Ochimusa stared into the fire. Taro's arm was wrapped around the shivering Alexis as she cried heavily into her knees. "And here I am, in the cabin, and my husband and daughter aren't here…." Her body shook as she struggled to take in air. "I knew my husband was already dead. I knew Isaac had killed him back in the woods, but I was hoping my baby would be here, hoping strangely, that Isaac would be holding her and truly leave us be to go and kill the Number Two. But when I saw that you two were in this cabin…" She leaned harder onto Taro and Taro himself seemed to be fighting back tears. Alexis though, let her crying continue until she fell asleep by the fire.  
"Ochimusa." Taro said in a broken voice. "What'll we do?"  
Ochimusa looked down to his left, as Alexis slept, curled into a cold ball.  
"I go and face Isaac. Make sure I get her kid."  
"Do you think you'll be able to?"  
Ochimusa removed his kimono top and placed it over Alexis.  
"You just stay here with Alexis and wait for me. If I don't return by afternoon tomorrow, you followed the river back, and you'll come upon a small town by nightfall. It's a fishing community, so there'll be plenty of fighters who might at least defend you while you get on a boat."  
"A boat?"  
"Yeah, if you can sail off, Isaac should have no hope of finding you. Make sure they take you somewhere far away. Just mention my name; my sword and I did some big favors for them the other day when I was stopped there, so they should be willing to take you just about anywhere. I'm also assuming she's from that same village, so that'll make things even easier."  
"And what about when you kill Isaac? What do you say we at least escort Alexis safely somewhere? With _both_ headbands on you as the ultimate body guard?" Ochimusa laughed and untied his headband. He wrapped it around his blade and sat against the nearest wall. "Yes. That's what I plan to do. She needs a fresh start. A pretty young twenty year old with a baby won't make it far without being attacked in this day and age…"  
Taro scooted slightly away from Alexis to lie down, but kept protectively close.  
Ochimusa threw woodchips into the fire every so often, keeping it bright and warm for Alexis, watching her face, which continued to cry in sleep.  
_It's all over tomorrow Isaac_, Ochimusa thought irately to himself.  
_It's all over._


	5. The Game

**Ch 4:**

**The Game**

"If you head north and follow along the foot of the mountain--heading east--you'll find the bamboo forest. It covers a vast amount of acres, so it'll probably be hard to find exactly where he is."  
"It's alright, he'll find me if I can't find him."  
Alexis stood in silence for a moment at the comment.  
"Please, don't go looking for him; we can get on the boat ahead of time.  
"No, I gotta go and take care of him."  
"No you don't! It's bad enough you're walking around under your Number two headband, you don't need the Number One! You'll just become another nameless fallen warrior like Isaac!" Ochimusa turned his back to the cabin and placed his sunhat on. "I'm not looking to be Number One. I'm looking to erase the title from history. I'll call you if I win." Alexis and Taro stared at Ochimusa as he walked into the dew soaked forest. "And besides, Fallen Warrior is practically my middle name." He chuckled and continued walking.

The sun was closer toward the center of the sky now, closer to disappearing behind the grey clouds. Ochimusa sniffed the air and sighed. "Oh great, rain, just what I need..." No sooner than when Ochimusa had complained did it start to drizzle lightly. Ochimusa heard the light misting on his straw sun hat, and sighed, knowing very well how the rain actually calmed him. He smiled and looked up to the dark grey skies. He could see sunlight just on the other side of the mountain, and it lighted his side with a surreal glow and ambiance. The bamboo forest seemed to go on and on, but was thin enough that he could see everywhere he had to search.  
The rain began to pick up harshly. The bamboo leaves would drip rainwater onto Ochimusa's hat, and it would slide off the rim and onto the ground around him. He had trouble seeing through the waterfall that was his hat, and so he tipped it back slightly, letting the water slide behind him. He felt his heels kicking the rain soaked headband ends and smiled. After a few more minutes of searching, he could see a structure in the distance. As he drew closer, he could see it was the family shrine. He entered the clearing and strode casually to the shrine, standing underneath its gazebo. The shrine was elegantly crafted, with many other trinkets and items tied to it as remembrance.  
These kinds of shrines--like Ochimusa's family shrine--were more for honoring everyone that is and will be, as opposed to promoting a lifetime of mourning over those who have sadly passed. They did hold the deceased names though, and Alexis' family shrine was engraved with nearly as many death dates as there were names. Alexis' own name had been dated, next to her husbands and her baby's.  
"It's almost sad isn't it?" Isaac said.  
Ochimusa stared at the names, thinking of his own family shrine, and removed his hat. He rested it on a dragonhead sticking from the shrine.  
"Alexis isn't dead though, so it needs to be re-etched."  
Isaac walked out from behind the shrine, pushing Ellen in a baby stroller. He settled himself next to Ochimusa and they stared at the shrine.  
"Sorry about that, I just assumed. I figured you had grown up a 'stone cold killa', was I wrong?"  
"Not really."  
Isaac smirked and eased the baby stroller next to the shrine. Ellen sat sleeping, soothed by the sound of the rainfall. "Well, all we'll have to do is _update_ her death date..." Ochimusa looked to Isaac as he made the comment and stepped out from under the gazebo, making his way into the clearing before the shrine. He stopped and turned to face Isaac. "Let's go."  
"Ah ah! Not yet! This isn't how it happened."  
Isaac turned and headed through the bamboo forest.  
"They fought in a mountain, remember? You _have_ finally heard a few Afro Samurai stories haven't you?"  
"Yes, but we're gonna settle this _here _and _now_."  
Isaac laughed and pulled a poorly wrapped cigarette from his pocket. He held his hand over the lighter and managed to light it. He took a drag and blew the smoke from his nostrils. The smoke snaked forward and dissipated in the rain. "Well, then come and get me Afro SSSamurai."  
Ochimusa quickly rolled back across the ground, dodging a bullet.  
"Use your sword Isaac, quite playin' games!"  
"My name is _Justice_, boy. And I_ like_ games..." He gently hissed.  
Ochimusa stood and drew his blade, chuckling once he realized that a sharp cowboy hat rested on Isaac's dreads. "You little cosplaying nerd."  
"Hardly_ cosplaying_. This is no mere costume..."  
Isaac flicked to edge of the hat down, revealing the Number One headband. "I stole this off his corpse you see. I thought it would suit the occasion. Sorry, I don't know where Afro Samurai is buried, so I couldn't fetch his afro for you." Ochimusa stared at Isaac for sometime before finally charging.  
"What did I _jussst_ say, boy?"  
Ochimusa swiped away one of the bullets, but the other pierced his shoulder. Isaac took the moment to completely disappear into the forest. "We fight on the mountain side Afro Samurai!" He said, still imitating Justice. His haunting laugh seeped slowly into the woods, into a fleeting echo. Ochimusa looked to the baby at the shrine. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called Alexis.  
"Hello?" She answered.  
"Alexis, I have some good news and bad news."  
"Tell me the good news, did you kill him?"  
"That's the bad news, he's run off."  
"Well what's the good news?"  
"Ellen is here with me, sleeping, waiting for her mother."  
There was a silence over on the other end of the line, lasting several moments, before Alexis came bursting back on.  
"Where are you!? Where's Ellen!?"  
"She's here at the family shrine, come and get her and head to the docks early, you might need to leave now."  
"Won't you be coming with?"  
"No, I'm following Jus...Isaac."  
"Why! If he fled and left Ellen, we can make a break for it! Just please come with us and protect us." Ochimusa heard a rustling and then Taro's voice came over the phone.  
"What's going on Ochimusa?"  
"Tell him to come with us!" Alexis said in the background.  
"What do you want to do?"  
"Take Alexis through the woods and to her shrine, once she gets close enough, I'm sure she'll forget about me and start looking for her baby."  
"And you Ochimusa?"  
"I'll be following Isaac."  
Taro laughed.  
"I'll see you once you're done."  
The other end of the line clicked and Ochimusa shut his phone off. He removed his kimono tie and tied it around the bullet wound. His chest and stomach was wrapped in bandages as underwear, and they quickly filled with rainwater. He looked into the woods where Isaac disappeared and made his way through a large puddle in that direction.

"Ha ha ha! Dance Afro Samurai!" Bullets came whizzing all around Ochimusa--splitting raindrops as they flew--but his blade and fancy footwork made sure the bullets missed him. His loose kimono danced behind him as he swiftly moved about. He could hear the bullets tearing through it's back, and was growing more and more anxious as they hit closer and closer to his actual back. Ochimusa leapt off a boulder and hid behind it. "Careful boy, the edge is on that side!" Ochimusa held fast to the rock, staring down the side of the plateau they was fighting on. He removed his sheath and threw it out to his left, making a run toward his right. Isaac began shooting and Ochimusa saw he was looking toward the sheath. He rushed out and leapt to Isaac, out of his twelve shots. He lifted the guns and crossed them, catching Ochimusa's blade.  
"Oh come on! Role-playing is fun! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"  
"Oh but I _can_ beat you kid."  
"Kid? I'm older than you."  
Isaac leapt back, quickly reloading his pistols in the air. Ochimusa darted toward him, swiping his blade at Isaac as he landed. The sword cut his chest, but not much deeper than to graze the bone. Isaac rolled back, leaving a sprinkle of blood behind him. "Ah! You fucker!" He pulled his guns up and crossed them toward Ochimusa. He grew trigger-happy; wasting the twelve bullets on Ochimusa's blade as he easily dodged and cut their haphazard trajectories. "You sounded more like yourself there, what happened Justice? Ha ha." Isaac quickly reloaded the chambers and began to empty them just as fast. Ochimusa cut most of the bullets, but one found its way to his shin.  
"Ha! That's two! Just one more strike and your out!" Isaac lifted his pistol and shot at Ochimusa's head. Ochimusa followed the bullet until he nearly had to cross his eyes to follow its course. His blade shot up and split the bullet. The pieces veered off and grazed his ears, but he wasn't dead, and Isaac was more pissed than ever. "Mother fucker!" He began to reload, letting Ochimusa charge. He shook his revolvers closed and began shooting again. Ochimusa dodged left, then right, and then front-flipped into the air, slicing what he though was the last bullet as he came over his axis. Isaac's eyes went wide as Ochimusa closed the distance. Ochimusa slid to a stop and pulled his blade back. He coiled hard and shot the blade forward, all in under a second. Isaac had been practicing with his quick shot too.  
Ochimusa's blade cut through Isaac's black hoody, and Isaac's shot found its home in Ochimusa's ribcage. Both men grabbed their torsos and fell back to the ground. Ochimusa stared up into the sky, the rain not bothering his wide eyes. He was having more and more trouble breathing. _Must have hit a lung_, he thought. Ochimusa at up as quickly as he could, looking over the bleeding Isaac. Ochimusa froze, and thunder boomed heavily across the skies as an accompaniment. Isaac was pushing him self up, though there was already a large pool of blood around him. "Heh heh, cuh...you, geh, you can't kill a G-God so easily, heh." He threw his empty guns to the side and drew the veiny blade from his waist. He used it help him up, and Ochimusa stood as well, though he felt like he was breathing in fire.  
Isaac turned around and faced Ochimusa. Ochimusa held his blade toward his opponent, as did Isaac.  
"Hm hm heh ha ha ha! You. Little. _Fucker_! This is where the story changes!" He coughed weakly and wheezed in a large breath. "This is the part where the game has a major upset! Ha ha! This is where Ochimusa is Ochimusa gain, and _dies_ at the hands of Isaac! That fool Justice didn't realize the problem with bullets. Not only are they easy to split, but hell, they're practically only good when you hit something vital. Now with _blades_..." He looked at his sword as the grooves collected rain and blood from his hand. "You can hit them any which way, and just as long as it's d-deep enough, you'll kill them in due time." Isaac kept on arm over his own wound, emphasizing the point.  
Ochimusa's vision blurred every so often, but Isaac's black figure stood out against the brown dirt and yellow sunlight peering through the clouds on the other side of the plateau. Thunder boomed throughout the heavens again, telling Ochimusa and Isaac it was time to finish this Godly duel.


	6. Rolling Thunder

**Ch 5:**

**Rolling Thunder**

Ochimusa steadied himself and rushed toward Isaac. Isaac smirked and raised his blade. Ochimusa swiped for Isaac's stomach again, but Isaac managed to perform a barrel roll over the horizontal slash. Ochimusa made a fast round house kick for Isaac's head, but he dropped to the ground and spun on his back, legs sprawled out. Ochimusa fell hard to the ground--tripped by Isaac's windmill--and quickly rolled backward, avoiding being struck in the face. He stood and waited for Isaac to stop spinning. Isaac made his way to his feet--dizzy from blood loss and his windmill--and rushed Ochimusa.  
His swipe cut air as Ochimusa ducked to the side and stabbed his blade toward Isaac's stomach. He kicked the side of the blade, pushing it into the dirt, and used a back flip to place more force into his next kick. His foot smashed into Ochimusa's ribcage, causing to him to gasp and spit blood. He rolled several feet back, and continued to roll, placing himself to his feet.  
Ochimusa turned to see a streak of black and silver flash to his head, which he barely dodged and answered with his own swipe. Isaac dodged swiftly and began to smile, realizing he was still moving slightly faster than Ochimusa. Ochimusa picked up speed and repeatedly swiped his blade with intimidating speed. Isaac lost his grin as he sloppily dodged each slash and lost more blood with each movement.  
Ochimusa saw an opening and acted on it, but the stab still didn't connect. Isaac backed up and rushed forward again. He stabbed for Ochimusa's chest but was parried to the side. Isaac fell to his free hand and spun; legs kicked out. One of the spinning kicks hit Ochimusa's hand, sending his sword twirling to the side. "Ha ha!" Isaac laughed dryly. He planted his feet down but continued his spin to give momentum to his sword's slash. Ochimusa was disoriented for a moment, but the blade cutting into his shoulder sobered him back up.  
He rolled toward his blade and managed to grab it just as Isaac glided over with a flying sidekick. Ochimusa stood and grabbed the extended leg--ducking his head as the veiny blade swiped for it--and threw Isaac far to the side. Isaac landed, gut first, onto a large rock. He screamed and rolled down, revealing a large red blotch painted on the top of the rock. Ochimusa watched, waiting for Isaac to walk out from behind the rock. When he didn't, Ochimusa went to investigate.  
He saw a large streak of blood--slightly washed away by the rain--that glided down the side of the rock and disappeared through a naturally formed archway. He followed the blood trail and saw Isaac, lying motionless in the dirt.  
Ochimusa spit a wad of blood into the rain and walked over to his body. He stamped his foot down on Isaac's back--squirting out two streaks of blood from his sides--and plucked the hat from his dirty dreads. Ochimusa chuckled lightly to himself and slipped the Number One headband off the hat. He stared at it for some time, thinking about his father, his mother, his sister, and placed it--along with the Number Two--in the pocket of his kimono. "No need for anyone to know where these two are hiding…" Ochimusa stared out to the sunbathed valley on one side of the plateau, and then to the dark and dreary world just on the other side. He smiled and walked to the greying edge, watching the thunder roll on in the distance.  
The rain was once again a calm drizzle, and the warmth of a sudden sunbeam made Ochimusa look up. "Ow." He said lightly, realizing he was looking into the sun. He placed his hand up to the sky and smirked at the sun peeking out from behind its own grey hand. "Hm…I can't say my life played out quite like his. But still, I wonder, how alike _are_ Afro Samurai and I?"  
"Why don't you ask him in hell?"  
Ochimusa froze and spun around. Isaac leapt to the air, tackling Ochimusa over the edge.

Ochimusa smashed into another rock, kicking Isaac off his chest. His vision grew fuzzy, but he had enough feeling to know when he smashed into a rock, and when Isaac's blade cut into his legs. He was instantly thankful they weren't in a completely freefall, the slope of the plateau made sure of this, but he wasn't thankful for the fact that the slope was riddled with protruding boulders and trees which to flip him about on his descent. His legs clipped a rock, flipping him onto his stomach. He landed on a flat rock, which shifted as he smashed into it. He looked up and caught his sword, rolling to the side once Isaac landed right behind it. Isaac's right shin visibly broke as he landed, but he hopped up on the other and began wilding slashing his blade at Ochimusa. Ochimusa could barely move, but he managed to draw his blade and block one swipe. Isaac leaned over the blades and spit in Ochimusa's face. "_This_ God is going to take you with him into hell!"  
Isaac was holding his blade with one hand and the other shot forward, ripping the torn kimono tie from the bullet wound. He threw it to the side and dug his fingers into the gash. Ochimusa shouted in agony and kicked Isaac in the stomach. Isaac's eyes glazed over as Ochimusa's foot pushed in further than normally possible. Ochimusa could feel hot blood streaming down his leg and he looked over the situation. Though Isaac was inches from death, he was still strong, if his fingers dug right, he could pull out a few vital arteries, and on top of all this--well, technically below--the rock was shifting and getting ready to tumble. Ochimusa studied how their swords were connected, and twisted his accordingly. Isaac's blade slid down Ochimusa's, slicing into wrist. Ochimusa kicked Isaac away and removed the dismembered hand from his shoulder.  
"Gaaah!" Isaac crawled back on his knuckles, still holding his blade, and stared at his cleanly cut wrist. "You _fucker_!" Isaac stood and made his way to Ochimusa, but the rock below shook, knocking him over. Ochimusa look up, watching the scenery in the distance slowly move. He looked down the slope and saw they were descending quickly toward the bottom. The tremendous boulder jolted and jumped every so often, hitting other boulders, and slowly began to turn over itself. Ochimusa moved fast, and managed to be on the other side as it arched and flipped. Isaac was tossed from the boulder and landed far below in the grass. Ochimusa leaned over the edge and watched as Isaac looked up to what was shadowing above him. "Oh fuck-"  
Isaac was instantly silenced, and barely a second later, the sickening crunch and bloody gurgle was no longer audible either. The boulder smashed into a tree, which roared with strain before splitting in a splintery explosion. The tree sounded like thunder echoing through the forest, and it smashed to its side, the last big rolling boom before an eerie silence. Ochimusa saw his blood traveling slowly down the boulder, and he decided he better do the same. After a moment of painful strain, he stood and made his way down the rock. He leapt from its side, landing harshly on his feet before rolling over to his side. Ochimusa lay on his back, looking up at the yellowing clouds, shaking his legs to make sure they weren't broken.  
He laughed and sat up as best he could. He looked to the large boulder and stood, walking over. He sliced the boulder with his blade, sending sparks in a flurry. They sizzled on the rain soaked grass and Ochimusa left the enormous epitaph. He walked only a few feet before being too worn to continue. He sat on the tree, cutting away branches that scratched at his back and sides. He looked down to the ground, something black caught his attention.  
Next to a black sheath laid a veiny black blade, lightly speckled with blood. Ochimusa picked them both up, sheathing the blade and placing it at his side.  
"What a shitty morning…"  
Ochimusa felt heavier and heavier as the seconds past and laid himself over the side of the tree. He was trying his hardest to keep his eyes open, trying hard not to fall asleep, and then we wasn't trying at all to enjoy the sleep that finally did come.

There was a familiar smell. Salt. Maybe alcohol. What were these smells? Ochimusa sniffed a little, smelling his nosebleed more than anything. He tried to move, his arms first, and when they moved stiffly, he tried to sit up. His back cracked and popped as he sat up, but nothing was broken.  
"Oh my God! Look! Holy hell he's sitting up!" A boy's voice shouted.  
"Ochimusa, Ochimusa say something!" A girl pleaded.  
Ochimusa sat disoriented for a second before answering.  
"What? I couldn't hear you, clear your throat and speak up!"  
Ochimusa did so, realizing how dry his throat and lips were.  
"I…I'm hungry…I'm thirsty and I can't see."  
"Open your eyes dumbass." The boy said again. Ochimusa sat for a second, confused by the obvious, but opened his eyes. The blurring subsided after a few moments, revealing Taro standing next to Alexis and her baby. Behind them was an open sea, gently rocking the ship they stood on. Ochimusa realized he too was rocking, and looked around. All around him were masts, ropes, sailors, and open waters. Salt. He looked back to Taro and Alexis, and then to his body. He lay in little more than alcohol soaked bandages and his kimono bottoms. Alcohol.  
He stared at his bandaged torso and after a few moments of thought, began patting himself. "Where's my kimono top?" Taro smiled and walked over with a laugh. "We threw it out before setting sail. It was so bloody after all." Ochimusa stared into Taro's eyes and nearly passed out as he fell back into his bed. Taro laughed at his reaction and suddenly something tickled Ochimusa's nose. "But we did empty it to see if there was anything of yours still in there."  
Ochimusa's eyes opened to see the two red suns of the Number One and Number Two headbands. Taro dropped them and Ochimusa sat up quickly, yanking them from his face. He stared at them for several moments and couldn't help but laugh. He looked to his right, and saw two sword hilts leaning against the bed. He picked them up and stared at them both. He took Isaac's blade and wrapped the headbands around the end of the sheath closest to the hand guard. Once he was finished, they appeared to be just one white cloth wrapped around the sheath, no red suns or black markings.  
"Why'd you put them on _his_ blade?" Alexis asked disgusted.  
"Because I don't want this blade falling into anyone's hands other than the man who killed its owner. Especially not Taro's hands." Taro recoiled at the comment. "Why would I want it?"  
"Because you're gonna be training with a sword. You'll just use Blood Babe for now." Taro blinked for a second and then shook his head. "Wait, I don't want to learn how to use a sword, why do you want me too?"  
"Because I'm crapped out right now, and I can't fight worth a piddely-poop."  
Taro sighed and shook his head.  
"Well I'm sorry your piddely-pooped out, but it's not like we're actually gonna be fighting any time soon! I don't need to learn anything."  
"Sir! Hostile ship flanking us on the right! I think it's this bay's gang of pirates!"  
"I _thought_ it was a ship." Ochimusa said as he stiffly stood from his bed.  
"How long have I been out?" He asked throwing his sword, the Blood Babe, to Taro.  
He caught it sloppily and answered.  
"About two days."  
Ochimusa flexed his muscles and bent each stiff joint.  
"Yeah, I should be good to fight some pirates."  
Taro stared at the sword in his hands and drew the blade. An arrow stuck before his feet and he faced the oncoming ship. Ochimusa spit overboard and drew Isaac's blade. "Well, I guess you can guard Alexis and Ellen inside the ship's hull. You're a long way away from projectile defense…" Ochimusa cut down and arrow effortlessly and smiled.

"But you just might start as the Number Two tomorrow. Remind me."


	7. The Fallen Ones: Epilog

**Epilog**

"Look! She's walking to me! Come on! Come to uncle Taro!"  
"What!? Ellen! You're walking! Walk to mommy, Ellen! _Mommy_!"  
Ellen stumbled about on her fat toddler legs, looking back and forth between Taro and Alexis. She finally made up her mind and walked toward Alexis. "Ellen, oh!" Alexis swept Ellen up in her arms and kissed her. "You did it Ellen!" Ellen squealed with joy and Taro laid back on the floor of their house in defeat. "Ha ha, you've got a smart kid Alexis." Ochimusa scratched his goatee and stood from his chair. He walked over to Ellen and tickled her chin. Ellen giggled and reached out for Ochimusa's long hair.  
"Youch."  
"Aw, she's just playing."  
"She plays _dirty_! Take this, and that!"  
He threw fake punches at Ellen who responded by pursing her lips and putting up her own little fists.  
"Ooh! She's been watching Taro and I train hasn't she? Ha ha."  
He kissed Ellen on her forehead, and she bopped him one on the chin  
"I don't know what this kid has against me."  
He smiled and headed for the front door.  
"Are we going to train today?" Taro asked, digging through their freezerbox.  
"No, I've got someone to see in town."  
"Who is it?"  
Ochimusa opened the front door and looked back.  
"...I guess you could say he's an old friend." He called as he shut the door behind him. He took in a breath of fresh air and made his way along the sidewalk.

"Yes, I _have_ heard your story, and I'm not too happy with you living here in my town while still in possession of the Number One. The 'Asinine Assassin' gives me little reason to believe you know what you're doing with it."  
"No one else knows; you're the first person I've told in a few years..."  
Ochimusa thought about the moniker.  
"Do people really call me the Asinine Assassin? That's ridiculous, I've never assassinated anyone in my life! No one's ever hired me to kill somebody; I can't believe anyone would call me an assassin for the sake of alliteration!"  
"Where is it?  
Ochimusa looked up from his ranting.  
"The headband?"  
Ochimusa smiled at the brown eyes that glared at him. He lifted Isaac's sword from his side. He patted the headband wrapped around the sheath and laughed again as a sigh from the old samurai gave a hint of distrust.  
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on letting this go for anything...but for any_one_, well...I might be willing to you give it as gift..." Ochimusa unwrapped the headband, revealing a red sun and the Number One marking. He held it before the grey afro'd man and smiled. "I know you'd probably want this..."  
Afro looked over the headband and took it in his hand. He took a drag of his cigarette and breathed the smoke out slowly. He looked up to Ochimusa. "Are you _sure_?"  
"Oh so sure, sir! I've actually have the Number Two as a friend, but don't worry; we won't be challenging you with that." Afro gripped the headband in his hand for a moment and held it back up to Ochimusa. "It's good to see it again--it's good to remember--but I lost my need for it a _long_ time ago...you should carry it with yourself to the grave. If you really _are_ trying to hide the headbands like your parents before you, then you still have a need for it." Ochimusa stared at Afro for a moment before smiling and taking the headband in his hand. "Ha, wow, this is pretty cool, maybe someday my journey _will_ be like the great Afro Samurai; _truly_ without a need for this meaningless headband..." Afro Samurai blinked in confusion and then closed his old eyes with a smirk.

Afterward notes: Hey all (zero) of you who read! Thanks for the support! Ha ha. I got some little goodies about my story--more or less some mistakes--and here they are! Woo! To start off, you know Taro? His name is short for 'Yutaro'. Whose Yutaro? Ochimusa's real name! That's right, Ochimusa is Yutaro's father, but I forgot, and didn't include that fact in the story. Stupid me. When I wrote this story, it was one continuous text, but I wanted chapters, something to spread out over time. Little did I know that I would make the chapters so short. Again, stupid me. I also tried a few different writting techniques, all but one of which I now hate and have tossed. The only thing I did keep--as shown here--was using two hyphens in place of parantheses. Also, something I liked, but apparently most people don't, was my use of OC--original characters--but Afro did make an appearance! Even if it was in the Epilog...

Over all, I had fun and hope to be placing more on here soon. Keep an eye out, all my non-existant adoring fans! Peace


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